Louisville basketball is traveling on the road to Indianapolis, where the No. 6 Cardinals are taking on the No. 22 Indiana Hoosiers. The Cardinals and the Hoosiers each enter this crucial December showdown 7-1, both coming off road losses.
The Cards will look to bounce back from their loss to Arkansas, where Pat Kelsey sent a message to the team, saying, "It was unacceptable." Now, Louisville will face adversity for the first time this season and will try to get back in the win column against a good Big 10 program.
So, let's take a deep dive into some odds and make a prediction on who will win this afternoon from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Louisville basketball vs Indiana odds
Louisville entered this game as 5.5-point favorites, but overnight the line dropped to -4.5. The Cardinals are also the favorite according to ESPN Analytics, where ESPN gives them a 68.1 percent chance of winning this game. The Cardinals are 1-1 in their two games away from KFC Yum! Center, and with Kelsey wanting to send a message to the NCAA, Louisville has to go make a statement this afternoon.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel, and as of 6am ET on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
Spread: Louisville -4.5
Moneyline: Louisville -205 Arkansas +168
Over/Under: 161.5
Prediction
The Cards are coming off their worst loss of the season, and with Kelsey clearly disappointed in the Cards' efforts Wednesday night, expect this team to be fired up. Louisville has to shoot the 3-ball better, as they shot 22 percent on Wednesday. They also have to play cleaner defense and rebound better tonight. They sent Arkansas to the free-throw line 28 times, and were outrebounded 46-36.
The Cards' intensity has to come back in this game, and Louisville has to be the aggressor again. Hopefully, their loss gets this team fired up for this afternoon and makes them want to dominate two halves of basketball, and we think they will.
Expect a much cleaner game this afternoon from Louisville, where the Cards will set the tone early on both ends of the floor. Louisville will come at the gates hot, and we think they will light it up from the 3-point line in the first half. The Cardinals will win this game as the Hoosiers will have a hard time scoring against Louisville, giving the Cardinals their second-ranked win of the season.
Prediction: Louisville 88 Indiana 80